Surely not ? Bournemouth are the pluckiest of little plucky clubs who have no transfer budget and are everyone’s favourite fairy tale club. unless you examine the facts of their money laundering russian ownership.
I’m amazed that this is still possible given our form since Christmas. Either way if we qualify for the CL we’ll be 4th pot in the draw.
Maybe not, see what happens Monday with Citeh. Those cheating cants will surely spend a year disqualified Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It’s funny, before this morning’s game I would have thought 3 points would leave me feeling much more confident. In reality I’m going over and over Muff and Villa’s remaining fixtures, convincing myself that they could easily get 6-9 more points each.
Go and stick £10 on it. If both them teams get 6-9 more points each I’ll match what the bookies give you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
agreed, I’m doing the same. Weird things can happen at the end of the season with clubs fighting relegation. I don’t think it inconceivable for villa to win their next two games or Muff their last 2 games, irrespective of how poor they have been previously. I don’t think this is over yet and there’s no room for complacency given our last 2 games. .
It's all probabilities. Nothing's certain but we must be 80% likely to stay up now. 80% but not 100% yet. Not yet....
But that’s what makes me more scared. A week or so ago I was resigned to relegation now we seem close to staying up I would be devastated if it all goes wrong.
Don’t get to carried away, we have city too. Before the restart I did predict Brighton to drop. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I don't think Bournemouth's rich Russian is that interested any more. They owed him about £100m when they got into the Premier, because he funded them big style then - remember the huge FFP fine? But since then they have been running off their own merits and generating their own income. Unfortunately, they've been generating too much of it from loans. Their operating profit ignoring transfers is about break even. But they have been spending on transfers like there is no tomorrow, with the result that as of now they owe probably £80m on transfer payments that have to be made in the next year or two. And they have no transfer debtors to come in, because they have already borrowed £13m at the start of this season on the strength of £16m future income. Yes, they were willing to give up slightly less than £3m of their £16m just to get the cash in a year or perhaps two earlier. If there was ever a sign of a business in trouble, borrowing at Wonga rates is it. As I said, they are breaking even. Their wage bill is £111m, their TV income is £115m. When the TV money halves, so must their wage bill - but how? They need to sell all the good players, such as they are, to repay the debts and get their wages off the books. And if they have any spare cash, it's to pay the wages of the deadbeat players who got them down and who no-one else will touch. They pay £6m interest per year. They don't own the ground. They haven't built a new training ground. They're a basket case.
Say what you like about the Pozzos (who also seem to have run up debts with us), but we are now in a far better position than we were before they came along, we might struggle a bit when we're next in the Championship, but I doubt we'll face an existential struggle. Sure, Bournemouth have done things they never thought they could when they had whip-rounds to keep the club afloat about a decade ago, but what do they have to show for it when they find themselves in the Football League next?
I wouldn't say the honeymoon period is over for Ancelotti, he's still a fantastic manager who has the backing of the fans, but they're realising again that they're a bang average squad with a particularly weak midfield
Interesting. You are right, they are dire financial straits. The owner has been looking to pull out for a whole and it does appear that he does not want to plough more money into the club. He owns the land at Bearwood, the former Canford Magna GC, where they are claiming to want to build a state of the art training centre. It's not going to happen. The Council wanted to build houses on it, but decided not to do so as it floods every year. Next it was sold for Aggregates, this was turned down by the Council as it would unsettle the river banks. It was sold it to Denim on the cheap. New Stadium at Kings Park Athletic track? Not going to happen. The council do not own the land. Owned by The Charity Commission. No one wants to be left with a white elephant . The are looking to lay off non playing staff and trim back the back room staff on the football side. Ake, £100,000 a week Defoe, £104,000 a week Afobe, £110,000 week - amazing for such a **** player when he was there. We are not far behind them on the financial mess side. We have also borrowed against this years TV/League Position money. We will start 2020/21 with massive debts. We are not safe yet, especially as both City and Arsenal could score a bucket load against our old and slow defence.
Not saying they aren't going to be in bother but I highly doubt someone like Afobe was on that much (surely!) You are right Defoe was on a good wage and Ake signed on about 60k a week so might have got a rise. Don't forget Bournemouth also have Man City so guess it basically means they have to win 2/3 and get a draw to go above us ? Villa's goal difference is a bit nearer I think but they need to win 3/4 ( think they will tomorrow though) Villa spent 140 million last summer so they will be pretty messed up too and won't get as much as they hope for Grealish.
I know I'm a natural pessimist too ! I can see AV beating CP and WHU. That would leave them just needing a point from either Everton or Soton to catch us and GD would be fairly close then. So we may still need another point. If they both win today that 80% drops sharply. Both lose and its maybe 95%.
There I was yesterday evening, sat in the garden with a cold beer thinking everything was sorted, we were pretty much safe. I read this thread this morning and I’m nervous again. Today is the big day for me. Bournemouth have to win. They’ve got Man City away next so lose today any they’re gone. Villa worry me more. Palace are decent away but are they on the beach now? Everton are decent at home but have looked awful since the re start. Then they have Arsenal. Hopefully they beat Spurs today so they are still chasing Europe otherwise they may just roll over and finally, they have West Ham who will be safe and probably not bothered. Cmon Palace
Whilst I understand the nerves on here, I think we will be absolutely fine. Let’s face it, since the re-start all of us down the bottom have looked terrible. On paper Villa and Bournemouth have some winnable games, but that’s on paper! Bournemouth, psychologically are looking at turning over a 6 point lead with an inferior GD with only 4 games to play. Villa are looking at 7 points. Yesterday’s results would have been a hammer blow to them mentally. It’s a very stiff task to turn over such a deficit with the games running out quickly! My prediction today is that Villa will sneak a point and Bournemouth will lose 1-3. In the week Man City will turn Bournemouth over and Villa will get beaten at Everton, meaning we are 6 points clear of Villa and Bournemouth who only have 2 games to play whilst we know that a point at WHU will keep both of us up!
At the risk of making myself look an utter nincompoop I don't think CP will lose to Villa. Even though Roy is older than Noah and said that he thought P were the most likely side to win the Chelsea match ( at 3-2 down!) they are well organized. I've always liked Mr Tumble,as all of my previous posts can attest and Milly Molly E I Adio is likely to break Squealish into tiny pieces. My only fear is if Kelly and Sakho play as they are as mad as cabbages. Eagles ( and foxes)!
They needed to get a lot of players in as had lots of loanees last season. Agree they didn't spend well though!
All I can say if villa do edge us out it better not be by 1pt or by goal difference after that diabolical decision that went there way in their first game back after lockdown. If that were to happen and it cost us our PL status I wonder if we would have a case to challenge it in a court of law? I know there would be virtually no chance that the football authorities would give a decision in our favour, but a legal challenge in a court of law just might.
